The Cartographist

Before I launch into a long discussion of powers in 4E D&D, I thought that I'd jump ahead to the product that my team has been working on for the past few months. If you've read any earlier postings to this blog, you are aware of the Martialist. The Martialist is basically an unarmed combatant, who fights with his hands, feet, elbows--just about any and every part of his body. But he's not a monk--he doesn't gain his abilities from religion or philosophy--he's more of a tough guy.

We decided to release a FREE preview of the Martialist at RPGNow.com two weeks ago during their Movie Mayhem promotion tied to the release of Street Fighter. After all, as we state in the product itself, if you wanted to play a street fighter type character in D&D, you'd play a martialist. The Preview, focusing on the heroic tier of play, is 35 pages long, including front and back cover, table of contents page, paragon path descriptions (minus the crunch), 6 pages of power cards, and a page or two of other stuff. All told, if you strip it down to crunch that can be played at the Heroic Tier, it is about 11 pages long plus the six pages of power cards.

There are a lot of products at RPGNow.com that are that length selling for anywhere up to $3. We decided to give it away for free, hoping to have as many people download it as possible, so that they might be interested in purchasing the completed product when it goes on sale before the end of this month. The first part of the plan is working--we've had more downloads for this Preview (over 3x more) than our highest selling product. The question now is, will the second part of the plan work? Will those people who downloaded the preview purchase the product when it actually goes on sale?

Only time will tell. Obviously, it depends on whether they think the preview is well done. Do they think that that portion of the class that is the Heroic Tier is good enough to merit taking a look at the entire class? We're hoping so.

We're excited:
- We commissioned VShane to do the artwork, and we think that it was completely worth it. The pieces that he did are incredible. A lot of other 4E publishers are using Shaman's Stock Art, which is good art, but the products from several different companies now all look the same.
- We have tried to include a lot of fluff in addition to the crunch. We think that good fluff can definitely elevate a good piece of rpg material into a great one.
- We are taking a hard look at the crunch (especially the powers) to ensure that the character is unique, fun, and balanced. (BTW, if you were to download the preview of the Martialist, you would see its class features. You would probably come to the conclusion (that we have) that he is just a little too powerful as written. Look for his features to be de-powered somewhat in the final release.) The powers are getting a good scrubbing as well.
- Speaking of powers. If you look at the core classes from the PHB, you would note that they have, on average, 74 powers per class. If you look at the three striker classes (the Martialist is a striker), the average is just over 72 powers. When you take into account Martial Power, the number of powers available to each of the martial classes more than doubles. WotC is setting the bar high. We have tried to go beyond the PHB, but not quite to the PHB + MP level. The core martialist will have right around 120 powers. Taking into the account the paragon paths, it will have right around 150. We think that that wide variation will be a big selling point.

Interestingly, it is the number of powers that has delayed the release of the Martialist. Our intention was to release it a few months ago. Playtesting has taken longer than expected. Then we found a really impressive guy to act as a rules editor. His feedback on all of the powers as they were written has been invaluable to cleaning up and polishing them. I wish we had found him earlier in the process--it probably would have saved us a lot of time. BTW, he is a regular poster here at Enworld. Look for his name in the credits.

I realize now that this entry reads an awful lot like a long advert for the preview. Not my initial intention, but it seems to have become that. I might as well give you the link. Please take a look at the Martialist. It's available for free download here: [Link]

If you have comments or feedback on it, please send them our way. We'd love to hear from you.

So, wow, it's been a little over three-and-a-half-months since the last entry. Time flies and all that... Especially when you're working on a product for release--and even moreso when it is the most difficult type of product to release (for 4E).

What is the most difficult you ask? While this is only my subjective opinion, I believe that it is the... Let's think about it: Already there are several products out that detail new races. There are several products out that detail new paragon paths. Same with magic items. Same with adventures. There are fewer that describe new monsters for 4E, but they're out there with more on the way. What does that leave? New character classes.

In that category are The Advanced Players Guide by Ari Marmell, Fang, Fist, and Song by Goodman Games, Secrets of Necromancy by Zodiac Gods Publishing, and, only in the very recent past, The Witchdoctor by One Bad Egg. (There might be one or two others out there, but those are the only ones of which I am aware. If you know of others, please comment here.) Why this is so should be obvious to anyone who knows the 4E system: character classes demand a lot from a game designer--especially if one wants to be taken seriously by the gaming community.

So, what does it demand? IMHO, the following:

- Something new. The character class is the fundamental method by which a player interacts with the world. Players like to do things that they haven't done before, or things differently than they've done before. One of the great successes of 3E was the vast array of options it gave to the players--both "official" material from WotC, and 3rd party stuff from Malhavoc and others. But a class has to be "new"--otherwise why deviate from the core? "New" can mean different things to different people, but "new" is key.

- Good fluff. A key aspect of new-ness is the flavor describing the class. Even for the core classes, flavor sets the tone for the player. Glancing through the PHB, a player will read the flavor before slogging through endless descriptions of powers. If the flavor doesn't speak to him, doesn't inspire him or excite him, he's probably not going to decide to play that class. Flavor (fluff) speaks to our heart when crunch (mechanics) speaks to our intellects.

- Interesting class features. Other than the powers (which I'll get to below), what makes the class different than the others? Would a fighter be a fighter without his ability to mark opponents? Would a paladin or cleric be a paladin or cleric without their channel divinity abilities? Obviously, not. Class features fundamentally determine the nature of a class--they are the core of each class. Given the amount of customization possible when choosing powers, the class features provide the constant across all members of that class.

- Powers. Whole blog posts could be written (and in some cases have been written) about powers in 4E. I'll try to keep it short. At the least (and in no particular order), powers must be useful, varied, interesting, balanced, match the fluff of the class, and support its ability to do what it is supposed to do. Balanced--both across the class and across the classes. Balance is hard--incredibly hard.

I believe that powers are what makes class creation the most difficult task for would-be 4E game designers. Without a doubt.

I will go into powers in the next post. Until then...

In my last post, I solicited suggestions for the name of a new martial class that will be the subject of The Fantasy Cartographic's next release. A good number of people spoke up, and I took some of those suggestions. Below is a preview of material that will appear in our next release: Class: The Martialist:

CLASS TRAITS
Role: Striker
Power Source: Martial.
Key Abilities: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution

Armor Proficiencies: Cloth, Leather.
Weapon Proficiencies: Fist, Foot, Body.
Bonus to Defense: +1 Fortitude, +1 Reflex

Hit Points at First Level: 12 + Constitution Score
Hit Points per Level Gained: 5
Healing Surges per Day: 6 + Constitution modifier

Trained Skills: Endurance. From the class skills list below, choose three more trained skills at 1st level. Class skills: Acrobatics (Dex), Athletics (Str), Intimidate (Cha), Stealth (Dex), Streetwise (Cha), Insight (Wis).

Build Options: Brawler, Grappler
Class Features: Expert Grapple

As a martialist, you have complete control of your body, and you use it to best advantage.
You might be a freedom fighter standing up to the well-armed troops of an oppressive baron, a street tough who guards your neighborhood from the chaos of the wider city, a wandering pilgrim seeking your destiny, or maybe the bodyguard of a sinister crime lord.
Those who don’t know any better see your empty hands and take you for an easy mark. They would be well-served to pay attention to the manner that you move, the strength of your fists, and the confidence with which you carry yourself. Their contempt doesn’t bother you; in fact, it is to your advantage.

Martialist Class Features
You have the following class features.

Expert Grapple.
As an expert in close-quarters combat, you are skilled in grabbing opponents and controlling them. When you attempt to grab a target (See chapter 9 of the PHB), use the following rules instead:

Grapple: Standard Action
Target: You can attempt to grapple with one creature that is smaller than you, the same size category as you, or one category larger than you. The creature must be within your melee reach.
Strength Attack: If you have one hand free, make a Strength attack + 4 vs. Reflex. If you have both hands free, make a Strength attack + 6 vs. Reflex.
Hit: The enemy is in your control until it escapes or you end the grapple. Your enemy can attempt to escape on its turn.
Effects of the Grapple: As long as you are controlling an enemy, you gain a + 4 bonus to hit using any exploit that has the grapple keyword; you gain a + 2 bonus to hit using any exploit with the fist or foot keyword. If an enemy attempts to escape from you, you have a + 4 bonus to you defense.
Sustaining the Grapple: You sustain the grapple as a minor action. You can end the grapple as a free action.
Effects that End the Grapple: If you are affected by a condition that prevents you from taking opportunity actions, you immediately let go of a grappled enemy. If a push, pull, or slide moves you or the creature with which you are grappling out of your reach, you can attempt to move or move with the grappled target such that you remain adjacent to the target following the movement. See Move Grappled Target below. If you fail to move the target, the grapple ends.

To move a creature with which you are grappling, you must succeed on a Strength attack.

Move Grappled Target: Standard Action
Strength Attack: Make a Strength attack + 2 vs. Fortitude.
Hit: Move up to half your speed and pull the grappled target with you. The grappled condition is maintained.
Miss: If you fail to move your grappled opponent, the grapple ends, and he can make an opportunity attack against you.
(OR)
Hit: If you or your target is the target of a push, pull, or slide, you both move together equal to the number of squares the movement was designed to move you minus one. The grabbled condition is maintained.
Miss: The grapple ends, and the opponent with the higher initiative roll can make an opportunity attack against the other.

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The team at The Fantasy Cartographic has done playtesting with the Expert Grapple class feature, and we are happy with it. However, we are interested in hearing what any of you might think of it. We look forward to any feedback from the community.

If you’ve been reading this blog to this point, you’ve been reading about my roleplaying history and how that eventually led to me starting my own small rpg pdf publishing company. While that story is not yet finished, I wanted to take a break and jump to The Fantasy Cartographic’s future for this post.

The team and I are working on our next few products, all of which are geared for 4E release under the GSL. Rather than the fluff and maps that all of our previous products have consisted of, the next several are going to be crunch-heavy with very few (if any) maps.

Our very next release is approaching completion. We have a new logo. We have full color cover art as well as several interior pieces. Most of the text is written and the editing has commenced. But there is a catch: We don’t yet have a title. Actually, that’s not quite right, but you’ll see what I’m getting at.

The product is a pdf detailing a new character class for 4E. I believe that, if 4E goes the way that 3.X went, you’ll be seeing lots of these products. Feudal Classes: Noble from the Alea Publishing Group, the Advanced Player’s Guide from Expeditious Retreat Press, and Forgotten Heroes: Fang, Fist, and Song from Goodman Games are three products out there right now. What I think makes our product unique is that it details a fighter-like class that is all about weaponless combat. He uses his hands, his elbows, his head, his feet, and only rarely picks anything up. But he’s not a monk, or a ninja, or anything Eastern or Oriental. He’s more like a street tough who has taken his thuggery to impressive levels of mastery (thus leveling all the way to 30th in 4E).

So what is the problem? Well, we’re not sure what to call the class. Here’s what we’ve been thinking:

Fighter = Strong guy in armor swinging a sword.
Cleric = Slightly less strong guy in armor swinging a mace and healing his ally.
Wizard = Weak guy hiding behind the stronger ones throwing magic missiles at you.
Rogue = Slightly less weak guy trying to steal something from you or stab you in the back.
WHAT = Strong (or maybe agile) guy wearing little or no armor who is kicking your butt with his bare hands and his feet. He punches, he throws, he drops you on your head.


Why am I sharing this with the (few hundred) people who seem to be reading my blog? Because surely there is someone out there who can make a suggestion or two. I’m looking for help. And, of course, if we were to choose your suggestion, you would be credited in the finished product.

Here are some of the things we’ve looked at:

Boxer, but that isn't fantasy enough.
Pugilist, but that’s more of the same.
Grappler, but we don't like that either.
Martial Artist, but that is too blah.
Ninja, but we don’t like the associated baggage or the Oriental flavour.
Shinobi, same as with Ninja.
Monk, but there is too much baggage associated with monks and besides, it is not an Eastern or Oriental-flavored character. The class is almost like a fantasy European street fighter (One who might know savate or some other non-karate-like martial art.).

So, if anyone has an idea, throw it up as a Comment to this post. The entire team at The Fantasy Cartographic would be grateful.

Earlier I had discussed "the Dry Spell"--the almost ten years when I only gave scant attention to anything rpg-related. That dry spell ended in 2001-2002. Early 2004 commenced a second rpg dry spell in my life. After spending untold hours drawing maps of various things on a computer using MS Paint (!) and really re-immersing myself in DnD and its current state of existence, I was forced to put it on the back burner.

Work grew extremely hectic: It was common to work 65+ hours per week. I travelled often, up to several weeks at a time, and was busier when travelling than when at home. Not only was work amping up, but the arrival of the little one in my life and all of the inherent duties associated with having her completely removed the possibility. Two years went by when I didn't think at all about the maps I had drawn or about DnD.

I also believe that this period, from 2004 until sometime in 2006, was a key time for the rpg, and particularly pdf, markets. It was key in that a lot of consolidation and elimination seemed to occur during that time. The big names grew bigger; the tiny names disappeared; a lot of churn had occured and the playing field was solidifying. In short, the novelty of rpg pdf publishing had worn off. Looking back, The Fantasy Cartographic could have had a more successful beginning if I had jumped into publishing about three years earlier than I ended up doing. [More on that in a future post...] But I didn't.

In 2006, a family event was to occur that was going to bring together all of the people that I had played DnD with when I was younger. I was going to see (almost) everyone with whom DnD was a common topic of discussion. That prompted me to pull out and dust off the maps that I had drawn. And after two years, I was still happy with them. I even asked myself--why haven't you done anything with these? But I made the firm decision to actually compile them into something and publish them. This was when The Fantasy Cartographic was born.

[Why 'The Fantasy Cartographic?' Well, honestly, I grew up reading, and completely loving, National Geographic magazine. My father had had a subscription since 1967, and they all sat on the bookshelf in our family room when I was growing up. The magazine was, to the real world, what DnD was to my imagination. It was geography, adventure, strange and faraway places, peoples, and cultures, and maps, fantastic maps. IMO, if there wasn't a DnD, the National Geographic would have provided everything that I needed to take me away from my mundane existence. I could go on, but maybe I'll write more about the National Geographic in another post. Suffice it to say that The Fantasy Cartographic is my personal tribute to the National Geographic.]

Initially, I thought that I would just gather all of the maps and sell them--just maps with titles, no text, no description, nothing. I eventually came to the conclusion, however, that to do that, the maps would have to be fantastic. Not just good, or even great, but knock-your-socks-off fantastic. They weren't. Now, I love them. But in a world where WoTC has Map-a-Day or Map-of-the-Week or whatever they called it, where they make available on the internet maps from their products for free, mine wouldn't cut it. In a world where everyone seems to prefer full-color, hyper-realistic, stunning works of cartography, mine wouldn't cut it. [Personally, those types of maps are really nice to look at, but I don't need those to play DnD. All I need is a crisp map that is evocative in some way. The maps that I had drawn were crisp. Black-and-white. Easy on the printer. They were maps that I would use, and have used.]

So how to make this collection of maps something that I would be willing to ask people money in return for? Perhaps more importantly, something that people would pay money for? I decided that I would write an adventure idea for each map--some fluff inspired by the map, completely rules-free. So that brings me back to this family event coming up in the summer of 2006. Rather than do the writing by myself, why not enlist the aid of the people that I first played DnD with? And that's just what I did.

I brought that assortment of maps to said event. Each map had a title and nothing else. The guys looked them over, each volunteered to write about one or more of them, and off it went.

And fourteen months later, Locales, Volume 1 appeared for sale on RPGNow.com. That 14 months is the topic for next time...